If the Borgata Could Float

Reporting from Deck 5 (of 17) of the world's largest cruise ship, the Oasis of the Seas, on its maiden voyage from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It's hard to describe how big this ship is. Numbers (like 1,184 feet long) don't do it justice. Imagine, instead, being on the 17th floor of the Borgata or one of the other big AC casino hotels. And you look out the window and see nothing but ocean, and although the ship is making 20 knots or more, you feel no more sense of movement than if you were in a Boardwalk hotel.

The crew alone number 2,000. Of passengers on this "preview" cruise, there are 3,200. On its full-week regular voyages starting next month, the ship will hold almost 6,000 passengers, not counting crew.

 The ship weighs 225,000 tons. It isn’t outfitted like a ship but like a luxury resort. It has 24 elevators, 20 or so restaurants, 24 bars, an open-air park with trees, a full-size antique-style carousel, several theaters of different size, two rock climbing walls, surfing pool, probably half a dozen swimming pools, double that number of jacuzzis…

For all its size, and for all the individuality of its many features and promenades and observation decks and pool areas and solarium, the layout is easily learned and it isn’t hard to get around or know where you are.

Unless you look over the top rail and down at the water (waaayyyy down) and see the white foam spreading out from the moving hull, it’s easy to forget that you’re on a ship.

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